In the aftermath of attacks:

Norway should change its stance on LTTE- SL’s Ambassador in Oslo

By Manjula Fernando

 

Rodney Perera

The Sri Lankan Ambassador in Oslo Rodney Perera has been in touch with Norwegian authorities since revelations that the twin terror suspect 32-year-old Anders Breivik made references to the LTTE as a role model in his ‘manifesto’ that was released to the web hours before the devastating bomb in central Oslo and the subsequent shooting rampage in an island resort that ultimately killed nearly 90 people.

In an exclusive e-mail interview with the Sunday Observer the Ambassador discusses why Norway should now view the LTTE differently and help Sri Lanka’s decade long fight with one of the most ruthless terror outfits the world has ever known.

Q: How have the twin terror attacks affected the generally ‘open minded’ and free spirited people of Norway?

A: They have had a devastating impact on Norwegian society. As a country that has suffered immensely at the hands of terrorists, Sri Lanka has expressed our deepest condolences and solidarity to the people of Norway as we too share their grief at a time civilian lives have been taken by cowardly acts of terror.

There are already debates raging in society about the need to tighten security measures for key public institutions and political leaders. Wide-ranging discussions are envisaged in the coming days about immigration policy and on integration of migrants into Norwegian society.

Many analysts also opine that the scale and brutality of the attacks have shattered Norway’s self-image as a peaceful nation focused on mediation efforts across the globe and the Nobel Peace Prize because “Norway is not immune.”

A much-publicised comment made by a community leader states inter alia that: “The shocking attacks may change Norwegian naivety, especially about the need for security and that the incident would help change the chronic lack of will by Norwegian courts to hand down tough sentences on radicals for fear of infringing their rights.”

The incidents have also fuelled debate about access to high-power weapons in a country where hunting is widely regarded as part of the heritage.

Q: Is this the first attack of such magnitude in this country which is famous for the Nobel Peace Prize?

A: It is now listed as the biggest massacre on Norwegian soil since World War Two.

Q: The man responsible had frequently travelled to New Jersey and UK. Could he be a cat’s paw of a bigger terror outfit?

A: Police are investigating all such possibilities.

Q: Norway has always welcomed immigrants on its soil, irrespective of their background. Some of their leaders accommodated the LTTE as freedom fighters’. Will this tragic incident change their mindset? What have you felt during the past days since the attack? What are the people’s reactions?

A: Within hours of the twin attacks taking place in Norway, President Mahinda Rajapaksa telephoned me to get an account of what had transpired, inquire into the safety of the Sri Lanka Embassy and staff as well as the welfare of the Sri Lankan community and also to communicate his message of condolence to the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whom he had met a few months ago in New York.

President Rajapaksa also reiterated the fullest cooperation of his administration to the Norwegian Government for measures to eradicate such acts of terror from all corners of the globe.

The sentiments expressed by President Rajapaksa on that day can best be described through one of his landmark speeches in his presidency:

“Terrorism is a mutating menace. Old theories on counter-terrorism need to be constantly modified to effectively combat modern day terrorism. Developed and developing countries must recognise this fact and continue to support each other to eliminate terrorism from the face of this earth. We, leaders must not leave this menace to torment our children and the future generations. Terrorism in all its forms must be eliminated and not allowed to destroy the democratic and peaceful way of life of all our people. It is worthwhile reminding ourselves over and over again that there are no good terrorists and bad terrorists. Terrorism anywhere is terrorism and should be treated in the manner it deserves.”

The sentiments expressed by many Norwegians that I came across during the past two weeks echo what President Rajapaksa has said repeatedly. The Norwegian people clearly think that Breivik is a terrorist who committed acts of terror and hence should not be given any platform to air any of his ‘crooked’ views on multi-culturism and that he should be fully investigated and punished by the letter and the spirit of the law. It therefore comes as no surprise that the law enforcement agencies in Oslo are currently pursuing action against Breivik in accordance with Section 147 of the Norwegian Penal Code which categorises acts of terror.

Q: Anders Breivik made references to LTTE’s eviction of Muslims from the North in his so-called ‘manifesto’. Quite a few LTTE operatives and some of its top rung leaders are known to be hiding in Norway. Is it possible that this man who had a terrorist mindset had associated with these people and been influenced by them?

A: No sooner the ‘manifesto’ was attributed to Breivik, I started drawing the attention of Norwegian authorities to the two extracts that refer to Sri Lanka; namely;

”1. Page 1235

Pro-Sri Lanka (supports the deportation of all Muslims from Sri Lanka)

And 2. Page 1479

Fourth Generation War is normally characterised by a “stateless” entity fighting a state or regime (the EUSSR). Fighting can be physically such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to use a modern example.”

With regard to the first reference, my message to the Norwegian authorities is that all genuine Sri Lankans are engaged in the true spirit of multi-culturalism in Sri Lanka in that all ethnic and religious groups are treated equally and fairly with absolutely no peace-loving citizen calling for the expulsion or exclusion of anyone from our island nation and the democratic form of governance we cherish so much. However, we can all recall that it was the LTTE that forcibly evicted all Muslim as well as the Sinhala population living for generations in the Northern Province as part of their well-known ideology of ‘ethnic cleansing’.

The second reference in the Breivik ‘manifesto’ is a clear indication of him astutely following on the modus operandi of the LTTE whereby the State was drawn into a conflict which was pursued vigorously by bombing State property, killing democratically elected leaders, public officials and the civilian population from all ethnic and religious denominations.

Q: Are any investigations being conducted to ascertain if he actually had links with the LTTE? Has Norway sought Sri Lanka’s help?

A: These two references are clear evidence of Breivik closely monitoring the developments in Sri Lanka, as his agenda and actions too are virtually the same as those of the LTTE.

Therefore, it is possible that he may have had contacts with some of the LTTE activists either in Norway or elsewhere. I have raised this very pertinent issue with the senior political and security authorities in Oslo who have assured me that they are pursuing all such queries and we have agreed to follow this up in our regular interactions.

Q: The Island published a claim by Israel’s head of mission in New Delhi, that the LTTE had inspired those causing mayhem in the Middle East. Any comments?

A: This may not be relevant to Oslo.

Q: Does the Norwegian police believe that this man was acting alone as he claims?

A: Police are investigating this case and are not leaving out any possibilities.

Q:Have they tested him for his mental condition?

A: Police have said it is being done.

Q: The LTTE is known to have used fertiliser based bombs. The killer in Norway had used the same techniques. What ideas can we draw from these similarities?

A: There are eerie similarities between Breivik’s actions and what the LTTE is known for.

The ‘manifesto’ published online just prior to the horrific attacks on July 22 in Norway makes it clear that the Norwegian terrorist was drawn to the methods used by the LTTE in Sri Lanka, such as evicting all Muslim people from the North and using violent acts of terror against the State as well as the people of Sri Lanka. We can recall two specific horrendous acts of mass murder carried out by the LTTE against civilians, the scale of which far exceeds the death toll of the twin attacks in Norway, i.e. the massacres by gunmen at the Anuradhapura Sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in 1985 and the Kathankudy Mosque in 1990. Moreover, the dastardly bombing of the Central Bank which is similar to the action carried out by the Norwegian terrorist can be duly noted. After all, the aim of the Norwegian terrorist was to end multi-culturism, engineer regime change and revolutionise political discourse.

Although all Sri Lankans continue to stand for genuine multi-culturalism in Sri Lanka, those espousing the LTTE agenda are attempting to create an enclave with a monoethnic identity using tactics of terror and deceitful propaganda which are similar to the rhetoric and methods used by the Norwegian terrorist.

Then we can allude to an important fact in this attack whereby Breivik wore a ‘police’ uniform as if to lure civilians to him for respect of that uniform so that he could execute his innocent victims at will. This is all too similar to what the LTTE has done on numerous occasions, which was to carry out premeditated attacks on civilians from all ethnic and religious denominations, while at times impersonating the ‘Sri Lankan military’ to lure unsuspecting civilians to them and later apportion the blame on the State apparatus as can be seen from the fabricated photographs and videos being circulated to discredit the democratically elected leaders and our heroic military forces.

Q: Once in an interview with the Sunday Observer,

Prof. Rohan Gunaratna, a counter-terrorism expert alleged that Norway has become a safe haven for the LTTE. In the aftermath of the brutal terror attacks, will Norway impose strict laws to streamline asylum and immigration procedures?

A: This debate had started a few years ago and the authorities have tightened the asylum system in the recent past and continue to make it more difficult for new entrants to the country. Also, many deportations from Norway have taken place especially in the past two years. Naturally, with the end of all hostilities in Sri Lanka more than two years ago, and in recognition of the vibrant programs for reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction pursued by Sri Lanka, as so eloquently enumerated by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, more people are being sent back from Norway to Sri Lanka.

It is worth mentioning that in the immediate aftermath of May 2009, during the period of the first summer since the end of the battle to the next, July 2009 to July 2010, the number of Sri Lankans holding Norwegian passports visiting Sri Lanka recorded the highest increase of all foreign passport holders for that period, a figure of almost 180 percent compared to previous years. I supplied these statistics to the Norwegian authorities as proof of the normalcy prevailing in Sri Lanka to demonstrate that there was no longer any need for Norway to consider any person from Sri Lanka for refugee or asylum status.

As had been reported in the media a few months earlier, there are ongoing investigations in Norway against so-called LTTE leaders and other activists on Norwegian soil with wider European involvement relating to numerous criminal activities perpetrated by elements sympathetic to the LTTE ideology of terror and intimidation.

Many anti-Sri Lanka elements had their own conclusions about the situation that prevailed in Sri Lanka and went about impressing those opinions on the Norwegian public. These characterisations misled unsuspecting audiences with little or no knowledge of the LTTE’s criminal and deceitful ways for decades. With the tragic incidents of July 22, it has become clear that terrorism and acts of terror, as defined under Norwegian law, can be applied to actions of the LTTE too. The Norwegian law as stipulated in the 14th Chapter of the Penal Code, promulgated in 1902, titled “Crimes endangering the public”, and amended in June 2002 with a new section 147, lists some acts of terror as follows:

“1. Seriously disrupting a function of vital importance to society, such as legislative or judicial authority, power supply, safe supply of food or water, the bank or monetary system or emergency medical services or disease control.

2. Seriously intimidating a population

3. Unlawfully compelling public authorities or an inter-governmental organisation to perform, tolerate or abstain from performing any act of substantial importance for the country or the organisation, or for another country or another inter-governmental organisation.

The recorded history of LTTE action in the past clearly contravenes the first and second clauses for instance, the attack on the Central Bank, massacres at Anuradhapura and Kathankudy, other acts of terror leading to the Maavil Aru incident and beyond. This is why we are now making a renewed effort to draw the attention of the Norwegian authorities regarding these act whereby LTTE action on their soil need to be curbed as a matter of high importance not only in cognizance of the threat posed to the national interests of Sri Lanka, but also on account of the growing concerns for the safety and security demanded by the Norwegian public.

We have also renewed our call for action against those persons and organisations running news sources in Norway promoting communal disharmony, hatred towards Sri Lankans functioning within a multi-party democratic framework and propaganda justifying actions of the LTTE terror network, all with the aim of bringing the Government of Sri Lanka and its vital organs into disrepute and reigniting violence.

It is known that the LTTE has been able to use Norwegian soil in their activities against democratic Sri Lanka and hence, the Norwegian terrorist may have had first-hand accounts of events unfolding in Sri Lanka. Drawing up on the comprehensive report titled “Humanitarian Operation-Factual Analysis” presented under the tutelage of Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa, I have started posing three pertinent questions to the Norwegian authorities and the public:

If the Norwegian national who used extreme violence on unarmed civilians of Norway in the most heinous manner is termed a ‘terrorist committing acts of terrorism’, should not the Norwegian authorities also characterise all those associated with the LTTE, listed by many countries as a terrorist entity, as ‘terrorists’ who have engaged in crimes of even higher magnitude for many years in Sri Lanka against its civilian population in the guise of anti-multi-culturalism?

Would not this characterisation lead to more tangible law enforcement against those elements still engaging in activities against the national interests of Sri Lanka on Norwegian soil, utilising the same liberal laws that were abused by the Norwegian terrorist to conduct such horrific acts of terror?

With these twin tragedies, should not the government and people of Norway, at least now, try to understand the real motives of separatist terrorists and their front organisations that caused untold damage to life and property for almost 30 years, which aimed at dividing people on ethnic and religious lines and hindering the democratic rights of the people and still attempting to discredit a democratic state administration and stymie genuine attempts for reconciliation and harmony among all nationals in Sri Lanka?